Renée Alexis

The perfect hot drink can be made at home. Yes, thats right, I decided to experiment with the one and only classic winter comfort. Homemade mochas.  Theres a special announcement at the end as well, so read onwards :)

1 cup

hot brewed strong coffee

(I used Moccona Classic)

2 tbsp

hot chocolate mix

1/4 cup

milk

optional: 

whipped cream

additional hot chocolate mix for dusting

candy canes

Method:

• Stir together the coffee and hot chocolate mix in a large mug.
• Heat the milk on the stove to warm -- it should be around 100 degrees or just hot enough that you can only keep a finger in it comfortably for a couple of seconds. Remove from the stove and froth the milk using an aerator. Alternatively, whisk vigorously by hand until the milk foams, about 1 minute.
• Pour the frothed milk into the coffee. If desired, garnish with whipped cream and a dusting of hot chocolate mix.
• For a peppermint mocha, stir the coffee with a candy cane.

Xo,

Renee.

Special Announcement:

After much um-ing and ah-ing i've decided to finally dedicate blog posts to Thurday and Sunday's (Melbourne time). This has been a long time coming, and will add a little more consistency to Renee Alexis. I hope you've had a wonderful week, if not Friday is only mere hours away, fear not! I love you all immensely ♥

This morning I decided to do something somewhat productive to kick off school break. So naturally I whipped up a batch of vanilla cupcakes. I was originally going to make a dozen chocolate chip muffins but of course, when I started combining everything without really thinking it though, I realised we were out of chocolate chips.. *note to self: check pantry stock before mixing ingredients together* Not that this was a massive problem or anything, because this recipe is literally the best vanilla cupcake recipe i've ever used, definitely a blessing in disguise. The mixture is incredibly light weight and moist even after having some resting time.



To make the cupcake mixture
~Firstly preheat the oven to 170°C (fan forced) and line your muffin tray with paper cases around the same size. 
~Then in a large mixing bowl beat butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy.
~Afterwards, in a separate bowl, whisk eggs and vanilla together. Add small amounts of this mixture to the butter and sugar and beat well after each addition.
~Sift flour into the bowl and gently fold through.
~Pour in the milk and mix gently with a wooden spoon to form a smooth batter.
~Distribute mixture between the cake cases. If you plan on adding frosting or icing to your cupcakes afterwards, fill the cases up around halfway, they're a lot easier to ice afterwards.
~Bake for 20-25 minutes or until they're a nice light brown on the top.

To make the simple lemon water icing
~Make sure your little cupcakes have completely cooled down before frosting them.
~Sift the icing sugar into a medium sized bowl.
~Gently and gradually pour in your fresh lemon juice and mix until smooth. If its clumping up, add a few drops of water, and if too runny add the necessary amount of icing sugar to thicken the mixture up.
~To intensify the flavour, add your lemon zest.
~Add your food colouring when icing is smooth and glossy. Spread evenly over cupcakes.


This particular recipe makes around 12 standard muffin sized cupcakes and should be stored in an airtight container. It's definitely best to eat them within 3-5 days after making them and if you choose to ice your lovely cupcakes keep them in the refrigerator.